The Trouble With The Curve: An Argument For The Abolishment Of Norm-Referenced Evaluation

Vol. 3 No. 1

Year: 2013

Issue: Jan-Mar

Title : The Trouble With The Curve: An Argument For The Abolishment Of Norm-Referenced Evaluation

Author Name : Gregory Raymond

Synopsis :

The norm-referenced evaluation system has been used to grade students, from elementary through to post-secondary, for decades. However, the system itself is inherently flawed. Looking at the history of the norm-referenced system and its most famous tool, the Bell Curve, and taking examples from the author’s own teaching experience, this paper examines the erroneous logic that makes the system, as a whole, invalid for grading at any level, particular for college or university. The paper goes on to propose alternatives to the norm-referenced system. Examining first a self-referenced system, and ultimately finding it, too, lacking, the paper turns to criterion-referenced evaluation. Criterion-referenced evaluation is shown to be not only the best choice for evaluation at a post-secondary level, but also proves to be the only viably fair system available to teachers in today’s, grade-emphasised education system.